mayor

Potholder distributed to promote Mayor Addonizio’s 1970 campaign for re-election. Addonizio was defeated by Ken Gibson in the runoff election, making Gibson the first Black mayor of a major northeastern city.

Campaign letter distributed by Mayor Addonizio, informing his supporters that the election is “our last chance to keep Newark free for all people.” Addonizio was defeated by Ken Gibson in the runoff election, making Gibson the first Black mayor of a major northeastern city.

Campaign flyer distributed to promote Mayor Addonizio’s 1970 campaign for re-election. Mayor Addonizio’s campaign attempted to paint his opponent, Ken Gibson, as a dangerous Black Nationalist based on his association with Amiri Baraka. Addonizio was defeated by Ken Gibson in the runoff election, making Gibson the first Black mayor of a major northeastern city.

Brochure distributed by Citizens for Hugh J. Addonizio to promote Mayor Addonizio’s 1970 campaign for re-election. Addonizio was defeated by Ken Gibson in the runoff election, making Gibson the first Black mayor of a major northeastern city.

Campaign flyer for the 1970 Mayoral and City Council runoff elections in Newark. Mayor Addonizio ran as the incumbent against Ken Gibson, the “Community Choice” of the Black and Puerto Rican Convention.

Bumper sticker from the 1970 Mayoral and City Council elections in Newark. The 1969 Black and Puerto Rican Convention was organized to formally select the “Community’s Choice” for Mayor and City Council in the 1970 election.

Campaign poster from the 1970 Mayoral and City Council elections in Newark. The 1969 Black and Puerto Rican Convention was organized to formally select the “Community’s Choice” for Mayor and City Council in the 1970 election.

Photo of Amiri Baraka in the foreground, with Ken Gibson just behind him. Baraka and Gibson were both members of the United Brothers, a coalition of Black leaders in Newark organized to develop a “Black United Front” to take power in the mayoral election of 1970. — Credit: Newark Public Library

In this unpublished essay written in 2013, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) describes the histories of The Spirit House at 33 Stirling Street in Newark. Baraka explains the context of The Spirit House’s founding, along with its political, cultural, and historic significance for Newark and the Black Arts Movement. This essay was generously given to “The North” by Amina Baraka.